It is common for golf balls to include outwardly visible indicia. Such indicia may include, for example, logos, text, stripes, or other types of markings. In some cases, indicia are printed on the outer surface of the ball. However, indicia printed on the outer surface can readily become scuffed and/or removed, for example by contact with a club head and/or impact with the ground. In order to provide a golf ball with more durable indicia, the indicia may be printed under a transparent or substantially transparent top coating (clear coat).
Golf ball top coatings typically include solvents, however, which can smudge ink when applied over indicia. Therefore, in order to provide golf ball indicia with more durability, compromises are typically made in the configuration of the ball. For example, in some cases, primer may be applied to a top-coated ball in a localized area. The localized, primed area may then be printed with indicia, and then covered with a localized top coating. This configuration, however, includes at least three layers of material in a localized area, forming a bulged area, thus resulting in an asymmetric ball in terms of shape and weight. Such asymmetry may negatively affect performance of the ball, as asymmetry may result in altered aerodynamics of the ball, as well as irregular spin.
The present disclosure is directed to improvements in golf balls.